Arab Israelis Cross Border to Help Assad

Two Arab Israelis are believed to have crossed the border to Syria last week to act on their support for President Bashar Assad.

By Elad Benari

First Publish: 1/5/2012, 7:12 AM

Demonstration in Majdal Shams.

Flash 90

Syrian President Bashar Assad is receiving help from unexpected sources, Channel 10 News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, two young Arab Israelis in their twenties, both residents of the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, crossed the border to Syria last weekend.

Druze policy is traditionally to support whatever government rules the area in which their villages are built. The Golan Heights Druze, however, unsure whether the area will remain under Israeli rule, have not followed that policy. This is in contrast to their fellow Druze in other villages in Israel, who have representatives in the Knesset's Zionist parties and serve loyally in the IDF.

The matter was discovered after the two men’s families reported that they had disappeared. A police investigation found that the two had crossed the border sometime between Thursday and Friday of last week.

Channel 10 reported that the police also found out that both men have in the past served time in Israeli prisons for security offenses. The two are reportedly known as supporters of Assad, leading the police to believe they crossed the border to help Assad’s forces who are fighting anti-regime protesters.

Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that government forces continue to kill protesters despite the presence of Arab League monitors in the country. Syrian opposition groups say the death toll in the country has risen beyond 6,000.

Meanwhile, at least 50 Arab League monitors are roaming around the country with 20 more expected to arrive by Thursday.